E195-E2 becomes biggest aircraft to land at London City
March 26, 2025
A Helvetic Airways E195-E2 has taken the title of the largest aircraft to land at London City Airport, less than four years since the Swiss regional airline also became the first to land a E190-E2 at the location.
Operating on behalf of Swiss International Air Lines, the 415m long, 134-seat E195-E2 made the journey as part of a regular scheduled flight from Zurich. “Due to its steep approach, London City Airport places high demands on both the aircraft and the specially trained cockpit crews,” explained Helvetic Airways CEO Tobias Pogorevc. “Helvetic Airways has both, and we are proud to be the first airline to bring the larger E195-E2 to London City Airport following its premiere with the Embraer E190-E2 in 2021”.
Offering 30% less CO2 emissions per seat (the lowest of all aircraft operating at the airport) and a 63% smaller noise footprint than the previous generation aircraft, the E195-E2 is now the “largest, most efficient, and most sustainable aircraft certified for LCY,” confirmed Marie-Louise Philippe, senior vice president sales and marketing, head of region Europe and Central Asia, Embraer Commercial Aviation.
Embraer is currently developing a world-first automatic takeoff system (E2TS), which when certified, will increase the E195-E2’s range from London City by 800km. With an extended range of a total of 4,000km, this will bring “new destinations such as Istanbul, Gran Canaria, Casablanca, Athens and Cairo within range of London City for the first time,” concluded Philippe.
Although around 75% of flights into London City are currently on Embraer aircraft, the airport submitted an application to the UK CAA in January requesting to authorise A320neo operations. With up to 194 seats at maximum capacity, the introduction of the A320neo would “deliver much-needed economic growth,” explained London City Airport CEO Alison Fitzgerald. To facilitate the new aircraft, the regulator would need to approve a new flight procedure to alter the approach angle for the aircraft type at each runway end – but until then, the E195-E2 will remain the airport’s largest type.
